Amazon Prime Day Delayed Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Amazon Prime Day has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The news comes courtesy of a report from The Wall Street Journal. Prime Day is usually a big hit with users as Amazon slashes prices on a wide variety of items. But, this year has been anything but normal, so Prime Day will have to wait until September. The tech giant has had its hands full with meeting customer demand as it relates to home deliveries. For a wide number of users, Amazon became almost essential in the early days of the pandemic. With so much uncertainty surrounding social distancing practices, and the spread of the virus in the early stages, many flocked to the Seattle-based company's app to get their essentials.

Dave Clark, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations said in a blog post from two months ago, "Getting a priority item to your doorstep is vital as communities practice social-distancing, particularly for the elderly and others with underlying health issues. We are seeing a significant increase in demand, which means our labor needs are unprecedented for this time of year."

Back in March, Amazon announced its intention to prioritize shipments of essential items like medical supplies and household products on a temporary basis. Last month, reports started circulating that the company could delay Prime Day to at least August due to the unforeseen challenges presented by the pandemic. Some estimates indicated that Amazon stood to lose as much as $100 million from "devices it may now have to sell at a discount" due to delays. Prime Day was looked at by many analysts as a temporary boost for a company struggling with the virus in a real way.

Last year Amazon brought in an estimated $7 billion dollars during the event. For perspective, the retailer has said that it expects to use $4 billion on COVID-19 related expenses alone. During the same first-quarter earnings call last month, Amazon reported $4 billion in operating income and net sales of $75.5 billion. But, it remains to be seen if this year's event will match the fervor seen last year. A lot of people's job situation has changed or other expenses may have come up over the course of the pandemic. The turnout in September will end up saying a lot about where the economy is as it relates to a very strange year.

Will you still be showing up for Prime Day this fall? Let us know in the comments!